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Ansuz is shaped like the capital letter F with its sidebars pointing down. The vertical line represents the staff of Odin, father god of the Norse pantheon. The side bars represent Anda and Odhr, the gifts given to the first Norse people by Odin, both spiritual and physical life.* Anda is ‘spirit which imparts life’, and Odhr is ‘inspiration’, literally the breath of life. Therefore, the rune Ansuz can remind you of creation, thought, word, inspiration, insight, epiphany, and communication.

I call the Rune Ansuz, ‘Ansur’, which helps me to remember its added personal meaning to me; Answer. When in the stillness of a meditative state my spirit calls out a question, the Answer comes to me by way of the Muse. It is, in effect, the answer to my prayer. When I asked “What shall I blog about today?” the Muse responded, “Ansur”.

The Runes I refer to are from the Elder Futhark, which is the most widely used of Norse runic variants. A book I recommend is, “The Book of Runes” by Francis Melville* for it’s ease of understanding and beautiful visuals.

Carving a symbol into stone or wood were a way early people captured concepts they could communicate to others over wide areas without language differences. Although the runic homeland is thought of as Scandinavia, runes have been found from the Mediterranean, North to Russia and Lapland and West into Canada.

The runes allowed people to stretch their understanding of the world by thinking conceptually and can still be used in this way today. One can draw a rune and hold a dialogue with Self for daily enlightenment. There is nothing sinister in pondering universal symbols to discover more about yourself! So don’t let anyone tell you that the study of runes or any other ‘occult’ knowledge is evil! The goal of all knowledge should be “Know Thyself”. Secondarily, one can use this information to better direct their own lives.

A good practice, while learning the 25 symbols of the runes, is to pull one out of a pouch daily and ponder its meaning to you. Then, throughout the day, consider how this concept plays out in your life. You will become wiser before you realize it. ~

So today, think about the concept of Ansuz. How do you receive spiritual and intellectual food? Do you seek it out for yourself or are you spoon-fed? Do you nibble at the truth or do you swallow it whole?
I recommend nibbling at the truth, to see if it tastes right to you, to make sure it is not too hot or too cold, or if it is poisoned! It is our personal responsibility to check any idea or information to see if it plays out true in our own hearts, minds and souls.

The media today can be very tricky; consider WHO owns the radio/tv station you listen to. What is their agenda? What influence do its share-holders have for you? What credentials must a reporter have for you to believe the validity of their story? How does one report of an event compare to another report?
If someone blogs something, does that automatically make it true? If media talking-heads say things three times, do you BELIEVE them? Much of what is said and printed today is hubris. Be sure to check your ANSURS with your higher self! Do your own research. Check your sources. Test all knowledge to see if it resonates with your soul.
Namaste! Bright Blessings!!
originally published April 6, 2010